Door holder



July-7, 1942. B. s. BERNHARD DOOR HOLDER Filed Sept. 25, 1940 EEE Patented July 7, 1942 DOOR HOLDER Benjamin S. Bernhard, Boston, Mass., assigner to the American Hardware Corporation, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application September 25, 1940, Serial No. 358,193 s claims. (o1. 14s- 49) This invention relates to improvements in friction door holders.

Friction door holders employing the resistance offered by a shoe sliding within a track to hold a door in any desired angular relation with the header have not heretofore fully or efficiently utilized the surface available for such resistance. The shoe, which is frictionally slidable with respect to the track, is customarily held within a track of generally channel section, and either the bottom or both sides thereof have been utilized as friction surfaces. The prior art devices have usually employed springs, wedges, etc., for expanding the shoe and such expanding means have acted at most on two opposed friction surfaces.

It is an object of my invention to provide a substantially improved friction door holder.

It is another object to provide improved friction holding means.

The invention further contemplates provision of `improved means for quietly buffering shoe travel in a door-holding device of the character indicated.

Other objects and various features of the invention will be hereinafter pointed out vor will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the drawing which shows, for illustrative purposes only, a preferred embodiment of the invention- Fig. 1 is a plan of my door holder incorporated with a door and header, the door being shown in its extreme open position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the door holder shown in Fig. 1, the parts being shown in their respective relationships for a closed door; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are further enlarged sections taken substantially in the planes 3-3 and 4 4, respectively, of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1 my improved door-holding means comprises generally a track 5 of generally channel section and mortised, in the embodiment shown, within the upper edge of the door E. Slidably mounted within the channel 5 is a shoe member, designated generally as l, pivotally supporting one end of an arm 8. The other end of the arm 8 is pivotally anchored to the door header 9 by suitable means I0. In the position shown in Fig. 1 the door 6 is open to its maximum extent and is prevented from exceeding this Vmaximum by suitable buffer means, designatedgenerally as lI. Another buffer I2, similar to the buffer II, may be provided if desired at that, when the door is shut, the shoe 'l will be displaced along the track 5 and will abut the buffer I2 (when provided).

More specifically, and viewing Figs. 2 and 3, the shoe 1 preferably includes a main body member or slide I3, easily tting within track 5 and sliding along beneath and retained by the upper flanged or shouldered portions I4 thereof. An arm 8 is carried by the slide I3 and is pivotally connected thereto by the stud I5, which has a flanged portion received in a correspondingly countersunk receivingportion of the arm 8 and is permanently secured in place by such means as being headed over the inside of a countersunk portion I6 (Fig. 3) of the slide I3. The downwardly extending end portions I3a of the slide I3 will be understood to be a rigid means contributing to hold the separate parts of the shoe 'I in unit-handling relation and for abutment of the shoe with a buffer stop II or I2. A washer Il and guide plate I8 are shown interposed between the arm 8 and slide I3. These parts assure a free pivoting of the arm with respect to the slide and guide the slide in such straight alignment within the track 5 that jamming or uneven wear will be minimized, as will be understood. Lobes I9 on the guide member I8 may t in corresponding lobe-receiving holes or recesses on the slide member I3, to lock one member to the other.

Frictional resistance to the passage of the shoe 1 within the channel 5 results from an urging of friction pieces 20 expansible outwardly against the side walls 2| of the channel and of a friction piece 22 movable downwardly against the bottom 23 thereof. This urging downwardly and outwardly of said friction pieces may be obtained as follows:

Downward pressure, derived from an adjusting screw 24 threaded within the stud I5, is transmitted to 'a plate 26, as by the flanged stud 25, the flanged portion of which should be larger than the adjusting screw diameter, so that, upon retraction of the screw 24, the shoe unit 1 may still remain in unit handling relationship. The plate 26 serves to distribute pressure substantially uniformly over a block 21 of rather resilient material, such as rubber or the like. The resilient block 2l ts within two angle strips 28 and, when compressed by a downward thrust of the adjusting screw 24 upon the plate 26, -will apply both downward and outward pressure to angle strips 2.8, as will be understood from the near-fluid properties of a relatively resilient material, such as rubber, under such conditions.

the other end of the track 5. It will be clear It will be further observed that the downward and outward thrusts thus exerted on the angle strips 28 will be substantially uniformly distributed over the respective friction pieces and 22, thereby increasing the resistive frictional effort the shoe I may offer to any sliding tendency. It will be understood that a backing-up of the adjusting screw 24 will serve to relieve frictionpiece pressure on the walls of the track and to render the shoe more readily slidable, as may be desired.

The plate 25, resilient block 21, angle strips 28 and friction pieces 20 and 22 are all substantially of a length determined by the downwardly extending end portions I3a of the slide I3. The end portions I3a thus serve to hold the parts embraced by slide I3 in unit-handling relationship.

In the form shown stopping means for the shoe comprises ultimately a block V29,'through which mounting screws 30 may be inserted and thus anchor both the track 5 in its mortised position within the door or lheader,-as the -casemay be, and the block 29 within the channeledportion of track 5.

In accordance with anothervfeature of my invention I provide an improved type of'buifering means II or I2, held within the track 5 and between the shoe and one of the stopping blocks 29. My buffer assembly preferably includes a generally AU -shaped channel member3 I, inverted with respect to the channel of lthe track-5 and fitting frictionally therein. Slidable within the channel 3I is a generally U -shaped-or cup member 32, which serves as a guide for traveling parts within the buier stop. For quiet, resilient operation of the buffer I preferA to employ blocks 33 of relatively resilient material, such 4as rubber, for direct abutment with theshoe portion |33. This resilient block` is carried on-the'guide member 32 and so held by a necked -knob portion 34 of the block 33, passed through Aan opening in the guide-32. Heavy shocks of the shoe against a buffer are taken up primarily bysuch resilient means as a spring 35, which isshownspacing the resilient block 33 from the fixed stopping block 29. It will be observed that the knob 34 of the resilient block 33 may be designed so as closely to t the inside of the coil spring `35 and thus serve as a centering means for theV spring in order-to obviate any possible danger of'a turn of the spring 35 catching-an edge of the guide member 32 and making undesirable noise. It will also'be noted that the buffer unit lmay beheld in unithandling relation within'the trackS by 'provision of a pair of indented or swaged-in portions 36 on the channel member 3 I 'Such provision will prevent spring compression from displacing theguide member 32, and hence the buffer moving parts, any further than Ysubstantially 'the end 'of the channel 3|.

I have indicated above that'p'rovision of the buffer I2 may be desirable. This may be when noise elimination is of the utmost importance. It will be seen that lwhen 'the door is almost closed there is very little displacement 'of the shoe 'I within the track 5 for a given opening of the door. It is apparent, then, that very little resistance to opening or shutting will 'be offered when the door is so nearly closed. Inclusionof the additional buffer I2 may serve toprovidet the needed additional resistance by permitting the shoe'l to abut the buffer I2 just'before'door closes and thus to deaden shock and noise upon closing.

It will be observed that I have provided a substantially improved type of shoe'ifering fric` tional resistance to-its passage within a tracka shoe which utilizes efficiently all the inside surfaces of a channel or generally U-shaped track and at the same time one in which pressure is distributed substantially uniformly throughout all the friction surfaces. In addition my improved buffer incorporates means substantially to eliminate noise and lengthen the life of the parts.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail and preferred forms illustrated -in connection with a door and header, it is by no means intended so to be limited; and it is to be understood that various changes and modications may be-made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character indicated, a trackcf generally channel section and having inwardly directed flanges at the open side of the channel, a shoe slidable within said channel section-of'said track and having a body member for sliding coaction with the inner shoulder portions of said inwardly directed flanges, Ymeans incorporated with said shoe for offering Yvariable frictional resistance to the passage of said shoe within said track, said means comprising friction pieces 5in nat abutment with the adjacent surfacesofv said channel track, a 'pairof langle strips each engaging two of -said friction pieces, a block-of resilient Amaterialseated Vwithin said angle-strips, a stud xed to said shoe body member and-projecting above saidshoe'for support of -an external member to be borne bysaid shoe, an `adjusting screw threaded within said'stud, andmeans in Aabutment with said adjusting vscrew for distributing pressure substantially uniformly to the remaining surface of said block of resilient material.

2. YIn a Vdevice of the character indicated, a track of generally channel section and 4having inwardly directed flanges lat the open side of the channel, a shoe-slidable within said'channel section of said track'and having a body member for sliding coaction with the inner shoulder portions of said inwardly directed flanges, means incorporated-with said shoe for offering variable frictional resistanceto the passage of said shoe within said track, said means comprising friction pieces in flat abutment with the adjacent surfaces of said channel track, a pair of angle stripseach engaging two of said friction pieces, a block ofresilient material-seated within said angle strips, a stud fixed to said shoe body member and `projecting above 'said shoe for `support of an external member to be borne bysaidshoe, an adjusting screw threaded within said stud, and means in abutment with said `adjusting screw'for distributing pressure substantially uniformly to the remaining surface of said block of resilient material, said sliding body member having downwardly extending en'd portions serving to confine'said Africtionpieces, said angle strips, said resilient block,and said means for distributing pressure substantially uniformly to said resilient block.

3. In a vdevice of-the character described, a channel member'having parallel sides, a friction blockslidable in said channel and including friction'pieces atthe oppositesides thereof, an other friction piece Aat the bottom thereof, said side and bottom pieces bearing'against the sides and'bottom of said lchannel memben and a manually adjustable-means to force saidpieces againsttheside Ywalls andbottom wall of said channel member to increase the pressure of said pieces on all three Walls of said channel to control at Will the frictional resistance to the sliding of said block in said channel.

4. In a device of the character described, a channel member having parallel sides, a friction block slidable in said channel and including friction pieces at the opposite sides thereof, another friction piece at th'e bottom thereof, said side and bottom pieces bearing against the sides and bottom of said channel member, a manually adjustable means to force said pieces against the side Walls and bottom wall of said channel member to increase the pressure of said pieces on all three walls of said channel to control at will the frictional resistance to the sliding of said block in said channel, said manually controllable means including a block of resilient material for transmitting pressure to said side and bottom pressure pieces.

5. In a device of the character indicated, a channel member having turned in flange means defining a longitudinally extending slot opening into said channel member, friction means within said channel member and engaging all of the CII walls thereof and the under surface of said flange means, said friction means including a block of resilient rubber-like material, and means for stressing said block of resilient rubber-like material for the purpose set forth, an arm, and pivetal means extending through said slot and connecting said arm and friction means.

6. In a device of the character indicated, a channel member having turned in flange means defining a longitudinally extending slot opening into said channel member, friction means Within said channel member and including friction pieces engageable with the walls of said channel member and with said flange means, said friction means including a block of resilient rubber-like material located between said friction pieces for resiliently urging all of said friction pieces into frictional engagement with said Walls and flange means, means varying the stress on said block of rubber-like material to Vary the friction force on all of said friction pieces, an arm, and pivot means extending through said slot and pivotally connecting said arm and friction means.

BENJAMIN S. BERNHARD. 

